In Philadelphia, amidst the ravages of the opioid epidemic, police officer Mickey searches for her addicted sister, Kacey, who has gone missing. Has Kacey finally fallen prey to her addiction? Or is she a victim of a killer who is targeting vulnerable women in the area? Mickey endeavors to find her, while trying to keep her own life from spinning out of control.
It’s hard for me to categorize this book because while it has elements of a police procedural and of a slow-burn mystery/thriller, it’s such a smart, emotionally resonant novel that it’s more of a literary novel (that happens to be a page turner). I loved this novel, though it was at times hard to read, given the stark depiction of the opioid epidemic. Liz Moore’s writing is exceptional. Highly recommend!
In Depression-era rural Kentucky, five women defy convention and take WPA jobs as “pack horse librarians,” riding arduous routes through the hills to deliver books to needy families. As a result, the community and all of the women are forever changed.
I loved this book from the very first page and was sad when it was over. The characters were so well developed, I felt like they were all real people and I was completely invested in their stories.
Librarian Amy Byler, a single mom of two teens, gets a chance to have a “momspringa” when her estranged husband suddenly returns and convinces her to take a vacation to New York City.
This book is charming, fun, laugh-out-loud funny, and also touching. I enjoyed it from start to finish — reading it was kind of like attending a fantasy camp for moms. Perfect summer read! Highly recommend!
Normal People follows the relationship of high school classmates Connell and Marianne, as they move from high school to college and their relationship evolves along with their changing personalities and circumstances.
I’m really torn about this book. It drew me in right away, and I finished it quickly because I wanted to know how it ended. Having said that, I’m not sure I liked what I read. It struck me as a bit of a dressed up YA book – with so many misunderstandings, so much teen angst, and so many things unsaid (over and over) that it was incredibly frustrating. I found the ending similarly frustrating. To be completely honest, the ended actually made me angry, and that’s pretty unusual.
I was also troubled by the graphic sex and later, masochistic sex and sexual violence, given that these characters were supposed to be in their teens. Maybe it’s because I’m a mom of teen girls, or maybe I just don’t read enough YA books, but whatever it is, I found it disturbing.
This book is has received a lot of acclaim and glowing reviews, but overall, it just didn’t work for me.
This was our book club pick for this month. It had been on my to-read list for awhile but I’m so glad I was finally required to bump it to the top of the list!
The Great Believers is an emotional, powerful novel that goes back and forth between the mid 1980’s, as a group of Chicago friends is devastated by the AIDS crisis, and the present day, as those who remain continue to deal with the fallout. I found this book profoundly moving and I think it will stay with me for a long time. It was searing and painful – not at all easy to read.
I really liked this book and highly recommend it. I thought the present-day Paris timeline was less compelling than the 1980s timeline, and that sometimes dragged the narrative down, as did the earlier Paris story. I think both of those storylines could have been streamlined a bit and the novel would’ve been even better. Overall, a wonderful novel and quite an achievement for the author.
Touching family saga, centered around the love story of childhood sweethearts. I was so invested in the characters that I couldn’t put it down – I needed to know how it ended!
This novel is beautifully written, heartbreaking, and insightful. I need to look up Keane’s previous novels – I hope they are just as good!
I got lucky at the library last week and scooped up a couple of books that had been on my to-read list (love it when that happens!). My summer reading is off to a great start!
The River, by Peter Heller (available now) I did not enjoy Heller’s previous novel (Celine), so I approached this one with skepticism, despite its good reviews. The River is the gripping adventure of two college-aged boys on a long-distance and isolated canoeing trip that goes horribly wrong when they are caught between a ferocious forest fire and potentially dangerous men in their path. Beautifully written, I loved this book from start to finish! This one will stay with me for awhile. Some of the very detailed descriptions of fishing/canoeing, etc. became tedious but I was so drawn into the saga of the boys’ survival that it didn’t bother me much. Highly recommend!
Daisy Jones and the Six, by Taylor Jenkins Reid (available now)
Thanks to Michele Grace for the heads-up on this novel, which follows the complicated story of a late 1970’s rock band. It’s formatted like a book-length interview of all the relevant characters, which takes a bit of getting used to, but provides interesting insight into how different characters view the same events. I just loved this book, and was sad when it ended. Side note: I know this was fiction but how do these rocker types do SO MANY drugs and survive? If I have 2 margaritas I pay for it for days! Anyway, highly recommend!
The Nowhere Child, by Christian White (available now)
I’m not sure what’s in the water in Australia lately, but Australian authors are turning out some really fine mysteries! In this debut novel, Australian Kim Leamy discovers that she may actually be Sammy Went – a child who was abducted from rural Kentucky over 20 years earlier. Her journey to discover the truth is expertly juxtaposed with the story of Sammy’s disappearance. Extremely well done. Highly recommend!
Only Killers and Thieves, by Paul Howarth (available now)
Another Australian book (I seem to be reading a lot of those lately!). This book is really hard to review. The writing is exceptional and the story is interesting (two young brothers searching for justice in the 1880s Australian frontier) and I was interested in it because it reminded me of Philip Meyer’s The Son (historical Texas family saga). But I struggled to get through it because it was so graphic and so violent — I had to keep putting it down and reading other books in between. In the end, I’m glad I finished it, but I have reservations about recommending it. You might read some other reviews and decide if it’s for you.
Just no:
Neon Prey (Lucas Davenport #29) by John Sanford (available now)
What is it lately with usually reliable series going off the rails? There’s no need to summarize this one. It was so bad that I have a sneaky suspicion that it was ghost-written. Pass.
